Tuesday, April 26, 2011

I'm in full party planning mode these days for an end of school year party I'm planning for Elle. It's coming together but I think I'll wait to show you all the projects I've been working on until after I share the finished party. All of that to say, I'm bummed that I don't have a regular post for you this week and am just jumping into the next Your Way Wednesday, but it'll be worth the wait!

First up, my favorite links from the last few Your Way Wednesdays:

JAQs Studio linked up this washcloth tutorial. I love that even something as simple as washcloths can be really nice when you choose quality materials & take your time with the little details like topstitching.

Check out these adorable milk carton favor boxes Rhapsody of Cacophony made for a milk, cookies, and bedtime stories baby shower. So adorable!

And did you see this tray Life in the Dub Lane made? I could really use one of these for those nights we eat dinner as a family while watching Food Network Challenge!

Okay it's your turn!

Crafting is my way to relieve stress & stretch my creative muscles.

Sewing is my way to have some uninterrupted time to myself.

Bentos are my way to show Elle I'm thinking about her.

Parties are my way to love on my girls & our friends

Tutorials show my way of making this or that.

I want to see your way! I'm really excited to give you an opportunity to do just that with a link party!

Only two rules for you:

Add my lovely "Your Way Wednesday" button to your blog or blog post that you link up to

Please link directly to your blog post, not a giveaway, your link party, your Etsy shop, or even just the home page of your blog.

In exchange for following the rules, I'll leave a comment on your blog post & if you're my favorite post I'll feature you on my blog for my next Your Way Wednesday.

Monday, April 18, 2011

Between the laptops, iPhones, iPods, and headsets that require charging in our house, this little end table next to our couch was completely engulfed in a crazy tangled wire mess! I really wish I had taken a before picture for you... it would be easy enough to stage... but the thought of going back there even for just a moment makes me shutter! I'm so loving this really useful and super cheap craft project my Doug and I tackled this weekend, a charging station!

Here's the how to if you want to give it a try. I started with a box we already had on hand:

Next I measured the plug for a little power cord we also already had on hand and drew a square on the bottom back side of the box big enough to fit the plug through.

Then I cut it out using a box knife & cleaned up the rough edges with some black electrical tape

Next I measured the top of the box and marked it for three evenly spaced 1" holes. Then we drilled the holes in the top of the box with a 1" hole saw (that's the drill bit thingie on the counter next to the box).

﻿The holes were pretty rough looking, but these 1" grommets made for curtains finished the top and bottom sides of the lid off nicely. We just hot glued them into the holes.

The best part was loading it full of all those cords and closing the lid!

Since I had the box, the power strip, and the hole cutting bit, the project only cost me .67 for the electrical tape and $5.50 for the grommets (I had a 50% off a regular priced item Jo-Anns coupon). Not bad for less than $7!

Sunday, April 10, 2011

I picked up a Sew Baby pattern at Jo-Anns the other day and made this adorable wrap around outfit for a friend's baby boy.... could he be any cuter?!

The pattern says it's best made from a knit & to use fold over elastic for the binding. But I don't love working with knit, and I don't know what fold over elastic is, so I made it with seersucker and handmade bias binding instead. I think it worked just fine and was a great fit!

If you want to give this quick & easy pattern a try, you can look for it at your Jo-Anns (I found it in the spinning rack next to the pattern tables) or on Sew Baby's site. Don't let the snaps deter you, they're surprisingly easy to do!

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

So this is it… quite possibly my most favorite sewing project I’ve done to date… a quilt I made from my daughter’s baby clothes. I was so nervous about cutting up all those tiny outfits!

I kept reminding myself “they’re just gonna wither away in a dark box for the next 20 years if I don’t do something with them now”. I finally got the courage to break out my rotary cutter and instead of stressing about each cut I daydreamed about how cuddly her little body was in those footie pajamas, how adorable she looked crawling away from me in those ruffle butts, and how pretty her face was framed in the ruffles of the bonnet that went with the outfit she came home from the hospital in. I’m so glad I did, I really couldn’t be happier with the results!

Some details about the quilt – It has 43 individual “outfits” in it, none of them repeating. I included pajamas, dresses, ruffle butts, onesies, lots of handmade goodies, receiving blankets & details like buttons, bows, pockets, embroidery, and applique. The design is a variation of a block called stacked coins.

I think it’s the perfect design for a baby clothes quilt because none of the clothes actually butt up against each other, so there aren’t any bulky seams and all the pressing is really easy. Even though it’s a bit risky, I also really love the white background for this quilt… it highlights the clothes and doesn’t compete with the variety of colors. The finished quilt is approximately 57” x 70”.

Some of my favorite blocks:

The taggie blanket I made and embroidered for Liv... complete with some of her favorite ribbon loops!

Adorable ruffle butts from the retro ruffler outfit made by Rae Gun... she had another of these outfits, and it's one of only a handful of outfits I kept in tact for her to have for her own little ones someday... if she wants.

More ruffle butts! These are the ones she wore while eating her first birthday cake. Made by Sherbet Baby.

The top from the very first thing I made for Liv while I was pregnant but before had even decided on her name... this Amy Butler kimono.

Footie pajamas from Liv's layette so cuddly sweet!

An applique top I made with a matching pair of pants (see it & another one of the outfits in the quilt here).

A crochet trimmed pocket from a dress Liv and Elle both wore (other pocket reserved for Elle's quilt) and the funny glow in the dark rib cage onesie she wore on her first Halloween.

There you have it! I'm really so pleased with how it turned out, and it feels absolutely wonderful to have a big ol' fat check mark in the "cut up my last baby's most cherished clothes" box!

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

I've got two weeks of favorite Your Way Wednesday links for you. First up, ﻿this sweet ruffle pillow by Vixen Made. I really like her monochromatic take on this popular design element! Check out Vixen Made to learn how to make some for yourself.

And my favorite from the week before is this adorable paper bag waist skirt Homestitched made. That paper bag detail ﻿adds so much to a comfy little skirt! The best part is that Homestitched even made a tutorial for us!

Now it's your turn!﻿

Crafting is my way to relieve stress & stretch my creative muscles.

Sewing is my way to have some uninterrupted time to myself.

Bentos are my way to show Elle I'm thinking about her.

Parties are my way to love on my girls & our friends

Tutorials show my way of making this or that.

I want to see your way! I'm really excited to give you an opportunity to do just that with a link party!

Only two rules for you:

Add my lovely "Your Way Wednesday" button to your blog or blog post that you link up to

Please link directly to your blog post, not a giveaway, your link party, your Etsy shop, or even just the home page of your blog.

In exchange for following the rules, I'll leave a comment on your blog post & if you're my favorite post I'll feature you on my blog for my next Your Way Wednesday.

Saturday, April 2, 2011

I just finalized Elle's summer schedule. Finding engaging, affordable care, that she'll enjoy, and will fit into our work and vacation schedules for every single day of the summer was a grueling 3 week long undertaking! I just kept thinking "I must be missing something. Is it really possible every working parent goes through this for each of their school age children every year?!" If you have any tips I'm listening!

So now that you know what's been on my mind... and to do list... for the last 3 weeks, I think my last Illustrator 101 homework assignment will make a bit more sense. I made us a calendar template. Click here to download yours for free.

I think this is the start of a new spirograph obsession for me!

I've completed the Illustrator class and am so enjoying my newly learned graphic design skills. But I'm also really looking forward to getting back to a more normal schedule where I spend my evenings blogging or making things to blog about :)

Check back in a couple days for a post about quite possibly my most favorite sewing project ever!

About Me

Stacey is a business analyst by day and blogger/seamster/ crafter/party planner/aspiring Super Mom by night & weekends. When she's not solving fortune 500 companies system and process problems she's making whatever inspires her at the moment. Her uber supportive husband, Doug, and adorable daughters, Elle & Liv, are her motivation, inspiration, and sense of accomplishment.